Shares of Covista (CVSA) have gained 4.3% over the past four weeks to close the last trading session at $122.93, but there could still be a solid upside left in the stock if short-term price targets of Wall Street analysts are any indication. Going by the price targets, the mean estimate of $156.25 indicates a potential upside of 27.1%.
The average comprises four short-term price targets ranging from a low of $140.00 to a high of $175.00, with a standard deviation of $18.87. While the lowest estimate indicates an increase of 13.9% from the current price level, the most optimistic estimate points to a 42.4% upside. More than the range, one should note the standard deviation here, as it helps understand the variability of the estimates. The smaller the standard deviation, the greater the agreement among analysts.
While the consensus price target is a much-coveted metric for investors, solely banking on this metric to make an investment decision may not be wise at all. That's because the ability and unbiasedness of analysts in setting price targets have long been questionable.
But, for CVSA, an impressive average price target is not the only indicator of a potential upside. Strong agreement among analysts about the company's ability to report better earnings than they predicted earlier strengthens this view. While a positive trend in earnings estimate revisions doesn't gauge how much a stock could gain, it has proven to be powerful in predicting an upside.
